The Great Annual Fish Count descends on Bathtub Beach

<p>SAM WOLFE/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS Christine Raininger, of Hobe Sound, takes photos of a fish while snorkeling at Bathtub Beach. Raininger was one of about 30 volunteers who participated in the Great Annual Fish Count held at the beach for the second year.</p>

More than 30 volunteers donned their snorkels at Bathtup Beach Friday to survey all the fish that call the reef home.

This was the second year the event, part of the Great Annual Fish Count, was held at the Martin County beach.

“The Great Annual Fish Count is important because it provides us information on the baseline for species and abundance of multiple fish,” said Benjamin D’Avanzo, a freelance environmental technician with Enviro-Force. “It’s important for us to have this information in the database because it helps us keep track of long-term and short-term trends.”

The event was the first time many of the volunteers have been able to get an up close look at the fish living on the reef.

“This is a great event for the community and I think this is a good way to see the reef and go with people that know fish,” said Danielle Green, of Palm City. “I think it’s important for the community to see what’s being done here locally.”

Gregory Perez, of Port St. Lucie, said he just wanted to do his part to help the environment.

“I’ve been a huge animal lover my whole life,” Perez said. “It doesn’t seem like enough people care about the environment, so I wanted to try and make a difference.”

Among the more common species found during the dive were porkfish, Atlantic blue tangs and blennies. A nurse shark was also spotted by several of the divers.